For more than two decades, Shapiro has been solving cinematic puzzles both light and dark. He scored some of Hollywood’s classic comedies—including Idiocracy, Old School, Tropic Thunder, and Dodgeball—with regular collaborators such as Paul Feig, Todd Phillips, and Jay Roach. He’s also cracked the code of political dramas (the Emmy-nominated Game Change, Trumbo), adventures both animated (Spies in Disguise), and unconventional (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty), as well as sexy, stylish mysteries (A Simple Favor). Shapiro is like a character actor, putting on different musical costumes and adopting accents to disappear into roles much like Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, which he scored with rays of…
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Interview…Composer John Debney on the Wicked and the Whimsical Worlds of ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ and ‘Luck’
One of our very favorite composers out there is John Debney. A great friend of the site, we’ve spoken to Mr. Debney over the years (including an awesome hour-long discussion about his unparalleled 40+ year career) and just love chatting about film, music and more. John has a true knack for scoring and because of his talents, time, and energy he has helped transform the soundscape of modern film music. Whether it’s a tent pole blockbuster or something more quaint and intimate, John digs deep, gives his all and the feature is so much better for his contributions. He’s also a chameleon; there isn’t one composer we can think of…
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Interview…Barry Burns on Mogwai, Signature Sounds, and Never Reading the Manuals
When it comes to one-of-a-kind sounds, look no further than the Scotland-based, post-rock band, Mogwai. They hit your ear drums with a one-two punch of style and experimentation, and always take you on a true musical journey. We first stumbled on them while I was visiting Japan in 2006. Maybe it was the reference to Gremlins that caught our eye, but once we heard “Auto Rock” we were hooked. Over the years, they have lent their skill and sonic textures to film, shows, documentaries and rocked out plenty of stadiums. In 2016 however, they really outdid themselves with the score to Kin by our friends Jonathan & Josh Baker. Not content…
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Interview…David Buckley on ‘The Sandman’ and ‘The Nice Guys’
Emmy nominated composer David Buckley is known for his versatility and prolific output. Having worked with some of the very best in the business, Buckley has been able to score a multitude of genres and projects including Universal’s Nobody starring Bob Odenkirk, Greenland starring Gerard Butler, Jason Bourne directed by Paul Greengrass and The Nice Guys for Shane Black and Joel Silver. Previous scores include the Joel Schumacher-directed thriller Blood Creek, Taylor Hackford’s action feature Parker and Rob Minkoff’s fantasy adventure The Forbidden Kingdom. For television, the hit Scott Free/CBS drama series The Good Wife and continues to score the spin-off, now in its sixth season, The Good Fight (for…
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Interview…Ultraboss on Strings, Shredding, Bach and Yacht Rock
For those of you on the hunt for new music and sounds you’ve likely never heard, Bandcamp has your fix. It’s an independent music platform that touts and supports thousands of artists from around the globe. My handle is RidgeRacer4, and over the years I’ve been introduced to hundreds of amazing sounds and albums. But the rabbit hole goes infinitely deeper. There’s literally a never-ending sound reservoir that keeps getting filled with more unique music each day. One artist we’ve really taken to is synth and six-string prodigy, Ultraboss. His real name is PJ d’Atri and PJ lives in Austria. Since I’ve been so drawn to the music on Bandcamp,…
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Interview…Composer Dominic Lewis on the Multiple Soundscapes of ‘Bullet Train’
2022 has been a thrilling year for cinematic experiences, and one of the most exciting times we’ve had was with David Leitch’s Bullet Train. Federico and I were excited about it when we discussed our most anticipated films, but man did it deliver! Films these days tend to pander and not stray too far from sequel/prequel territory and it’s so good to get an original IP like this (and I bet the book is even better!). It’s just a fun time in the theater. What was thrilling enough to watch on screen only marginally outshines the auditory journey on this white-knuckle actioner starring Brad Pitt. Composer Dominic Lewis has a…
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Interview…Elliott Wheeler on Baz Luhrmann, Austin Butler and the Music of ‘Elvis’
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis hit theaters last month and as far as biopics go, it was one for the ages. In fact, you can’t have a film about “The King” without going over-the-top theatrically, stylistically or musically. It’s one of the best films we’ve seen in a while. Moreover, it should continue to prove that going back to the theater is anything but mundane – it is an event! The film finds Luhrmann reuniting with long time-collaborator, Elliot Wheeler, to help bring Elvis Aaron Presley’s music to the modern masses. After developing a shorthand with Luhrmann on The Great Gatsby and The Get Down, Wheeler returns with a unique dual role as both composer and executive…
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Interview…Joseph Trapanese on Chamber Music, Cellos, and Choir in ‘Spiderhead’
One of the busiest film musicians out there has to be Joseph Trapanese. Let’s call him “Joe.” Joe is a composer. These days, Joe is happy. In fact, he’s very, very happy. And why wouldn’t he be? He’s one of the most sought-after magic makers and has a brilliant track record working on huge films with megastar directors. In Netflix’s Spiderhead, Joe reunites with director Joseph Kosinski (with whom he previously worked on TRON: Legacy, Oblivion, and Only The Brave). Aside from working closely with his good friend Joe K – we’ll call him “other Joe” – Mr. Trapanese had the unique opportunity to get away from the music that…
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Interview…Jasha Klebe on the Freedom and Found Sounds of ‘Queer As Folk’
Jasha Klebe is a composer known for emotive melodies and impactful scores. Most notably, Jasha co-scored the BAFTA and Emmy nominated music of BBC’s Planet Earth II, alongside Hans Zimmer and Jacob Shea. He additionally provided music to the follow up series, Blue Planet II, as well as wrote the Emmy nominated music of National Geographic’s Challenger Disaster: Lost Tapes. Jasha also composed the score to Netflix’s 2015 Oscar-nominated documentary, Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom and National Geographic’s, Diana: In Her Own Words. Jasha began his musical career at the age of 5, singing at his Grandparents’ opera house, Cinnabar Theater, in Petaluma, CA. He studied classical piano…
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Podcast Review: Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’
Well now lawdy, lawdy, lawdy, Miss Clawdy! 2022 has been an such amazing year for film, and more importantly cinematic experiences…and we’re only at the halfway mark. We’ve seen the return of The Dark Knight, Top Gun and now The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. It’s safe to say that going back to theaters is an event again (thank goodness!). Further, seeing Elvis on the big screen is one of the most exciting times you’ll have this year. It sure was for us. Baz Lurhamann‘s long-awaited biopic is headlined by Austin Butler who dons the titular icon’s shoes (and jumpsuit). He delivers the goods and then some! The King casts…
